Kinematographic projector

ABSTRACT

The present invention has for its object an arrangement ensuring the fading of the film pictures during the passage from one sequence to another. This is obtained in a manner readily available for amateurs by means of a notch, adhesive or the like mark applied to the film just ahead of the line separating two successive sequences of the pictures. This reference mark controls mechanically or electrically means acting transiently on the film illuminating beam, so as to subdue it through a decrease in luminosity or in sharpness of the pictures following the reference mark. To this end, the objective may be transiently unfocused or else a translucent screen may be caused to cut off the beam to a gradually increasing and then decreasing extent or again, the current feeding the illuminating bulb may be transiently reduced to dim the light accordingly.

[ June 4, 1974 KINEMATOGRAPHIC PROJECTOR [75] Inventor: Serge 0ulevay,Yverdon,

Switzerland [73'] Assignee: Bolex International S.A.,

Sainte-Croix Vaud, Switzerland 221 Filed: Feb. 17, 1972 21 Appl. No.: 227,094

301 Foreign-Application Priority Data" Primary E.\'umimr.lohn M. Horan Attorney, Agent. or FirmEmory L. Groff; Emory L. Groff, Jr.

[57] ABSTRACT The present invention has for its object an arrangement ensuring the fading of the film pictures during the passage from one sequence to another. This is obtained in a manner readily available for amateurs by means of a notch, adhesive or the like mark applied to the film just ahead of the line separating two successive sequences of the pictures. This reference mark controls mechanically or electrically means acting transiently on the film illuminating beam, so as to subdue it through a decrease in luminosity or in sharpness of the pictures following the reference mark. To this end, the objective may be transiently unfocused or else a translucent screen may be caused to cut off the beam to a gradually increasing and then decreasing extent or again, the current feeding the illuminating bulb may be transiently reduced to dim the light accordingly.

PATENTEDJUH 41914 3.814.511

SEEN 1 3F 2 4 F75. f/ Z 1 KINEMATOGRAPHIC PROJECTOR Various techniques have been proposed with a view to producing a gradual transition between two sequences on a kinematographic film. A known technique which may be readily executed by an experienced amateur is the so-called lap dissolve technique. Another'technique consists in finishing one sequence with a gradual blurring or soft lighting, the next sequence beginning with a soft lighting returning gradually to normal illumination. This last technique belongs already toprofessional practice. It may be performed by inserting between the scene to be filmed and the camera a screen constituted by a flowing fluid. It is thus possible to obtain the fading of one scene into another by causing water to run over the surface of a glass pane set in front of the objective.

The present invention has for its object to allow an amateur to execute easily a dissolving effect between successive sequences.

v More specifically said invention has for its object a kinematic projector characterized by an arrangement actuated by a control member provided on the actual film which is being projected in order'to reduce transiently the sharpness and/or brightness of the projected picture and to then gradually restore same.

The accompanying drawings illustrate diagrammatically and by way of example three embodiments of this improved projector together with detail modifications. In said drawings:

F 1G. I is'a general diagrammatic view of a first embodiment part of which is shownin longitudinal sectional view.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are diagrammatic detail views.

FIG. 4 is a view of a modification of the detail shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a part of the arrangement illustrated in FIG. I.

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic view of a second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a detail of FIG. 6.

a FIG. 8 shows amodification of the detail illustrated inFlGJ.

FIG. 9 is a general diagrammatic view of a third embodiment. v

The kinematographic projector illustrated includes an objective I which. in the case of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, is adapted to move in a direction parallel with the path of the luminous rays under the action of a control mechanism 2 driven by a motor 3 provided witha reducing gear. The edge of the film 4 to be projected is provided with a reference mark which is a notch as shown at 5 (FIG. 3), said notch being adapted to cooperate with a contact-carrying feeler 6 whenever the latter is to energize an electric circuit actuating the control system 2 to make the latter shift the objective 1 in a direction parallel with the path of the luminous rays thereby to ensure a transientgradual decrease of the sharpness of the projected picture and its gradual restoration.

The electric circuit considered includes a relay 7 with two switches-8 and 9 adaptedto close corresponding circuit sections each time the feeler 6 is actuated by the controlling notch 5 of the film and energizes said relay 7 through the contact carried by said feeler. The closing of the switch 9 starts the motor 3 driving the control A shaft 10 rigid with an eccentric controlling the lever 11.

The latter controls the shifting of the objective I. As soon as the motor 3 has started as a consequence of the closing of the contact on the feeler 6, the switch 12 which normally closes the by-pass circuit section passing through the above-mentioned switch 8 controlled by the relay 7, so as to maintain energization of the relay, is opened by the cam 13 rigid with the control shaft 10, so that the motor 3 driving the shaft 10 revolves with the cam 13 through a complete revolution at the end of which the cam 13 switches off the motor 3 by reopening the switch 12 in the by-pass circuit section.

As apparent from inspection of FIG. I, the lever 11 adapted to shift the objective 1 produces, during such a complete revolution of the eccentric-carrying shaft, a reciprocation of the objective which moves first for-v wards and then rearwards inside a cylindrical bearing guide 14 provided in the camera. To this end, the objective l is fitted in a sleeve 28 slidingly carried in said bearing guide 14. This results in the gradual fading out of the pictures during the projection followed by a fading in whereby a transition can be obtained between two successive scenes without however, the position of the objective 1 with reference to the sleeve 28 being modified at any moment. Obviously, it is necessary to provide the notch 5 at a point of the film 4 which depends on the location of the separating line 15 between two portions of the film corresponding to two different successive sequences. Thereby said notch causes the feeler 6 to rock transiently and make its contact close the energizing circuit over the relay 7 at a' moment at which the film is in a position such that the line 15 on the latter registers with the objective when the eccentrio-carrying shaft 10 has substantially rotated through one-half revolution.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, it is possible to substitute for the notch 5 other means, for instance a self-adhesive conductive reference element 16, adapted to close the circuit through a contact-carrying feeler which is somewhat different from the feeler illustrated in FIG. 2 and may be provided with two contact-pieces shortcircuiting the relay-energizing circuit upon simultaneous contacting with the conductive reference elemer t 16.

According to the modification illustrated in FIG. 5, the kinematic chain controlling the sliding of the objective inside the bearing surface 14 of the camera is different from that illustrated in FIG. 1 inasmuch as the mechanism constituted by the eccentric on the shaft 10 and the lever 11 is replaced by a direct control through an eccentric l7 acting against a spring 18, on the longitudinal position of the objective 1. When in its normal position, the objective-carrying sleeve 28 abuts against an inner shoulder provided within the bearing surface 14, which allows a small clearance to appear for this position between the periphery of the eccentric I7 and the stud 30 raised on the sleeve 28 to provide for its actuation.

In bothcases however, the lap dissolving effect which blurs the picture is obtained through a shifting of the objective between a first position for which its focusing is not disturbed and a second position for which itsfocusing is gradually and considerably misadjusted, after which the proper focusing is gradually restored through a return of the objective towards its first position.

According to the second embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6, a rotary shutter 19 is fitted eccentrically across 3 the path of the rays of light passing out of the objective 1. This shutter 19 is constituted by a disc including a translucent ground glass sector 20 the opacity of which increases in the direction of the arrow A (FIG. 7) and decreases thereafter in the direction of the arrow B beyond an area 21 of maximum opacity. I

According to a modification illustrated in FIG. 8, the gradual modification of the opacity to either side of the area 21 is replaced by the provision of a tinted crescent-shaped sector 22 which, cuts off firstly to an increasing extent and then to a decreasing extent the beam of light passing through it while the remainding area 20' of the disc remains fully transparent.

The shutter 19 is coaxially rigid with a control shaft 23 carrying a cam 13 cooperating with a switch 12 and driven by a motor 3, the electric circuit feeding which is designed in a manner similar to the circuit illustrated in FIG. 1.

It will be readily understood that, according as to whether the disc 19 of FIG. 7 or that of FIG. 8 is used, the blurring or fading is produced by a reduced sharpnessof the picture or by a reduced brilliancy of the latter. a

According to the third embodiment illustrated diagrammatically in FIG. 9, the passage of the notch in the projected film in registry with the contact-carrying feeler 6 produces a signal which is transmitted through a monostable flip-flop 24m a thyristor 25 acting on the current flowing in the circuit 26 feeding the pictureprojecting bulb 27 of the projector. This forms a circuit-operating system of a very simple design adapted to produce transiently a gradual reduction of the luminous intensity of the projected picture and a gradual restoration of the normal original value of said intensity.

Obviously, numerous modifications of the abovedescribed arrangements may be contemplated within the scope of the accompanying claims with a view to producing a lap dissolve effect. Instead of the rotary shutter described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8, it is possible for instance to resort to a roller blind shutter provided with a gradually increasing and then decreasing ground glass or the like area or else with a gradually increasing and then decreasing tinted area.

Instead of resorting to a conventional electric motor 3 for the control of the kinematic chain driving the objective 1 or the shutter 19, I may use an electromagnet or any other suitable actuator.

As a further modification. the operation-starting means 5 or 16 on the film may be caused to control the transient coupling between said kinematic chain and the film-driving motor.

Various modifications may also be brought to the electric circuit of theembodiment illustrated in F IG. 9. Thus, for instance, it is possible to insert in the circuit feeding the projecting bulb 27 a simple rheostat which would be controlled mechanically by the operationstarting means on the film.

I claim:

1. In combination with the objective and the illuminating bulb of a film-projecting apparatus, the provision of an arrangement adapted to dissolve transiently thepictures projected through the objective of the apparatus between two successive different sequences. said arrangement comprising an objective, a carrier for said objective, an operation-starting reference mark provided at a selected point of the film to be projected and a mechanical linkage comprising a rotary element adapted to move said carrier and its objective along the axis of said objective between focused and defocused positions with its operation controlled by the passage of said reference mark in registry with the objective and acting on the carrier and its objective to move them in and out of focusing position once for each revolution of said rotary element during the projection of a short section of the film following the location of the reference mark on said film.

2. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reference mark is constituted by a self-adhesive conductive member applied on the film, and the passage of which in registry with the objective, is adapted to con trol electrically the means acting on said focusing of the light.

3. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an electric and mechanical control system connecting operatively the reference mark with said carrier when said reference mark enters its position registering with the objective to provide a transient reciprocation of said carrier, thereby to move gradually the objective from its first position to its second position and then back into its first position whereby a transient reduction in sharpness of the projected pictures is obtained.

4. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means acting on the focusing of the beam of light include means adapted to shift transiently the objective out of focus and back into focus, an electric motor adapted to produce a short transient operation of the objective shifting means, a circuit controlling said motor, a switch system controlled by the reference mark when it registers with the objective to close said circuit and means controlling said switch system to reopen said circuit when the objective shifting means have finished their transient operation. 

1. In combination with the objective and the illuminating bulb of a film-projecting apparatus, the provision of an arrangement adapted to dissolve transiently the pictures projected through the objective of the apparatus between two successive different sequences, said arrangement comprising an objective, a carrier for said objective, an operation-starting reference mark provided at a selected point of the film to be projected and a mechanical linkage comprising a rotary element adapted to move said carrier and its objective along the axis of said objective between focused and defocused positions with its operation controlled by the passage of said reference mark in registry with the objective and acting on the carrier and its objective to move them in and out of focusing position once for each revolution of said rotary element during the projection of a short section of the film following the location of the reference mark on said film.
 2. An arrangement as claimed in cLaim 1, wherein the reference mark is constituted by a self-adhesive conductive member applied on the film, and the passage of which in registry with the objective, is adapted to control electrically the means acting on said focusing of the light.
 3. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an electric and mechanical control system connecting operatively the reference mark with said carrier when said reference mark enters its position registering with the objective to provide a transient reciprocation of said carrier, thereby to move gradually the objective from its first position to its second position and then back into its first position whereby a transient reduction in sharpness of the projected pictures is obtained.
 4. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means acting on the focusing of the beam of light include means adapted to shift transiently the objective out of focus and back into focus, an electric motor adapted to produce a short transient operation of the objective shifting means, a circuit controlling said motor, a switch system controlled by the reference mark when it registers with the objective to close said circuit and means controlling said switch system to reopen said circuit when the objective shifting means have finished their transient operation. 